Stop No. 2: Bercy, France. They call Vegas "Sin City"; I call France "Sin Country." Everywhere you look, there are half-dressed women. Sex definitely sells in France. This stop -- just a short Metro ride from Paris -- was the Van's Big Air Show. The place was sick They had a full-on Moto X setup with a phat half pipe smack dab in the middle. I have never seen cheerleaders at a skate and motorcycle demo, but I will say this: they had next to nothing on, which is nice. The place was packed with screaming Frenchies smoking up a storm and blowing horns.
 |
| The Condor going big. |
Joining the action were pro skaters Neil Hendrix and Omar Hassan. Of course, the usual Hawk Tour boys were there as well -- Tony Hawk, Jason Ellis, Bucky Lasek, Rick Thorne and the Condor, Mat Hoffman. Talk about a world-class field of skaters and bikers! I have a tough job chillin' at all these events with the best riders in the world. Omar was blazing as usual, with big heel flip indies. Neil, Omar and Tony are all veterans of the big air show and it showed. Omar's Christ air was a big hit with the crowd, as was Bucky's big indies and Jason's fence drop. The baguette-eating, wine-drinking locals were treated to a big, big show.
 |
| Bam Margera looking relatively harmless. |
As the demo was winding down, Mr. Hawk had a wild hair up his ass and decided to go for the '9.' For those of you who don't know what '9' means, it's shorthand for the infamous 900 (two-and-a-half rotations). Tony is the only skater ever to pull one off; in fact, he had pulled off four to date before this crazy night in France.
The French emcees announced that the skate demo was officially over. I guess they forgot to tell Tony. The Moto X dudes started busting huge airs while Tony continued to attempt the '9.' The crowd was pumped and started chanting Tony's name. After his fourth attempt, I told the camera man next to me that he had better film the next one because he was gonna pull it. Sure enough, on the very next one, he made history again by pulling of the '9' without even a hand touch -- it was un-fricken-believable.
 |
| Another 900 for Tony this time no-hands-down. |
After witnessing that, I felt like I had just gotten face-slapped by my cousin Guido. In just under two years, the Bird Man has pulled off five 900s. How the hell can this tour get any gnarlier? If I was a betting man, I would bet the farm that Tony goes for a couple more '9's before we finish in late June. Next stop: Frankfurt, Germany, home of bratwurst and saurkraut. Stay tuned.
Related Photos:
2001 Euro Hawk - Bercy, France
2001 Euro Hawk - London, England
Send to a friend
|
Submit your photo or video
|
Top Rated Photos
